Blueprint Partners Project Newsletter: July 2006
In This Issue
American Heart Association Releases New Diet, Lifestyle Recommendations
AARP 2006 Physical Activity Survey
AoA Funding Opportunity for Aging Services Programs
New Survey on Barriers to Exercise at a Health Club
Partnership for Prevention’s Action Plan for Chronic Disease Prevention
Resource on Health Promotion at the Worksite
Research on Rising Diabetes Incidence Rates
E-Newsletters on Health
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American Heart Association Releases New Diet, Lifestyle Recommendations
New recommendations released by the AHA broaden the focus from a healthy dietary plan to a healthy lifestyle plan, highlighting the necessary long-term permanent changes in how people eat and live. New recommendations focus on balancing the number of calories consumed with the number of calories burned; food preparation methods that avoid adding saturated fat, sugar, or salt; and the challenge of maintaining a healthy diet while eating more foods prepared outside of the home. The Association advocates an accumulated 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
www.americanheart.org
AARP 2006 Physical Activity Survey
Fifty percent of the 1,011 Americans age 18+ surveyed in early April for AARP reported that they have been physically active for a year or longer. While women say they exercise for health and weight reasons, men exercise for social opportunities. Also, women report walking as the preferred type of exercise, but men prefer group sports, such as basketball and racquetball. Among the survey respondents who were not physically active, 58 percent said they don’t exercise because they feel tired or lack energy; 50 percent cited a lack of time; and 41 percent blame bad weather for hindering their exercise routine.
www.aarp.org
AoA Funding Opportunity for Aging Services Programs
The Department of Health and Human Services will support efforts over three years to mobilize public/private partnerships that support the delivery of community prevention programs for seniors through non-profit aging services provider organizations. Within a year, at least 30 local communities will have programs up and running. The NCOA Center for Healthy Aging will provide technical assistance to the local projects. The deadline to submit a letter of intent is Aug. 1, 2006; applications are due on Aug. 31, 2006. For more information about the Empowering Older People to Take More Control of their Health through Evidence-Based Prevention Programs: A Public/Private Partnership Grants Program, visit www.aoa.gov
New Survey on Barriers to Exercise at a Health Club
An International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association survey of a representative sample of the online U.S. population found that 91 percent of Americans believe that exercising at a health club would improve their overall health, yet only 18 percent actually have a health club membership. What’s stopping them from joining? Not surprisingly, 42 percent of respondents say that exercising at a health club twice per week for 30 minutes would interfere with other priorities. Interesting findings showed that nearly half of married Americans say their spouse or partner does not think they should exercise at a health club and 50 percent say their children do not think they should join a gym.
cms.ihrsa.org
Partnership for Prevention’s Action Plan for Chronic Disease Prevention
The seven recommendations to public health officials and policymakers on actions to improve the long-term health of Americans and reduce health care costs include:
1) Enhance in-school physical education
2) Increase access to places for physical activity
3) Promote healthy foods in schools
4) Increase access to healthy foods in communities
5) Make public places and workplaces smoke-free
6) Increase the price of tobacco products
7) Ensure access to clinical preventive services
www.prevent.org
Resource on Health Promotion at the Worksite
The American Heart Association’s Heart At Work is an online program that provides awareness, education, and behavior change activities focusing on health-related topics for the workplace including physical activity, healthy eating, stress management, and smoking avoidance. The physical activity module contains a challenge, a partner or self-paced program, an employee fitness test, and a walking seminar. A yearly subscription is required.
www.americanheart.org
Research on Rising Diabetes Incidence Rates
For years, researchers have reported on the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes, but less was known about the incidence rates, or the estimates of new cases each year. A new study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association showed that since the 1970s, new cases of type 2 diabetes have doubled among middle-aged Americans. The odds of developing diabetes increased by 40 percent from the ‘70s to the ‘80s, and then doubled between the ‘70s and ‘90s. Most of the increase in diabetes occurred in people who were obese.
www.americanheart.org
E-Newsletters on Health
E-newsletters related to health are available from numerous organizations, agencies, and groups. Here is a small sample of free newsletters on health, aging, or physical activity.
American Council on Exercise Health E-Tips
www.acefitness.org
NIH News In Health
newsinhealth.nih.gov
Maturity Health Matters – FDA health news for older adults, their families, and caregivers
www.fda.gov
Administration on Aging E-News
www.aoa.gov
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The Blueprint Partners Project is an initiative of the Active Aging Partnership. For more information, contact the National Blueprint Office at the University of Illinois Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, 119 Freer Hall, 906 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, IL 61801.
E-Mail: blueprint@kines.uiuc.edu
Phone: (217) 244-7122
Website: www.agingblueprint.org
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